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On the other hand, be careful - meditation in the context of Buddhism is a marketing funnel backed by 2500 years of experience. It systematically breaks down yo
by bitcurious 4y ago
On the other hand, be careful - meditation in the context of Buddhism is a marketing funnel backed by 2500 years of experience. It systematically breaks down your value system and replaces it with one that puts Buddhist practice at the core. So if you’re not looking for a religious awakening don’t take any of their advice too seriously.
- bowsamic 4y agoYes, it will break down your values. Unfortunately if you have the taste of bodhicitta: the mind that wants to awaken and liberate yourself and others from suffering, then you will mostly be forced to do it. I don’t recommend meditation or Buddhism for all, it will change your life in many ways that you will consider bad from your current point of view. Less motivation for tackling stressful tasks, less romantic attachment, less hunger for new experiences, often an increased neurosis, etc. EDIT: I find it quite horrifying that doctors prescribe it now. If you follow the doctors advice, mindfulness meditation every day, properly, then the doctor does not understand where that will take you. It is not a known thing for them. It only is “safe” because most people don’t actually bother doing it regularly or put effort in
- d82nsjk9 4y ago> Less motivation for tackling stressful tasks, less romantic attachment, less hunger for new experiences, often an increased neurosis, etc. Bold statement that piqued my interest. Do you have backing sources or pointers to this topic?
- bowsamic 4y agoHmm not really, just the general side effects that cause people to go deeper into the practise. I saw a study that said that meditation can increase selfishness or neurosis, but other than that I only have anecdotal evidence. The whole thing is about realising your attachments are fake, and that so is your perception of the world, and realising that on a deep level. Obviously priorities will shift due to this
- feanaro 4y agoWhat do you mean exactly by "increased neurosis"? How do you define neurosis here?
- bowsamic 4y agoSelfish or self aggrandising thinking, feelings of superiority, lack of attention to others
- feanaro 4y agoAre you describing something which can happen without proper technique/guidance or something which inevitably happens? And I guess I'm wondering the same for the rest of your list of changes.
- bowsamic 4y agoIt happens for almost all practitioners, one problem is that the secular practise doesn’t offer the “save all suffering beings in the cosmos” narrative that Buddhism does, and so it cannot offer a way forward beyond the insight and into compassion. It usually doesn’t even try to.
- feanaro 4y agoI found it interesting because while I can see how the other things in your list would naturally happen as attachments lose power, I don't see why an increase in neurosis would be a necessary or even a common result. (For context, I've been meditating daily for a year and a half, for 30-60 minutes and this simply hasn't happened to me yet. In fact, if anything, the opposite happened, where I engage less in self-aggrandizing behaviour.)
- bowsamic 4y agoHave you not heard of the spiritual ego? Most practitioners eventually grow a big ego around their practise. Chogyam Trungpas book “Cutting through spiritual materialism” is all about this